Divide and Conquer to Defeat Clutter

Divide and conquer is a military and political tactic used to defeat your enemies and create a situation in which rule comes easier. The term is derived from the latin, divide et impera. It more literally translates to defeat in detail, although I’ve more commonly heard it referred to as divide and conquer.

I like this description of it’s use that I found on the Internet:

breaking up power alliances into smaller chunks that are easier to subdue/manage

preventing small power groups from linking up and becoming more powerful

In war that would mean breaking an opponents army into smaller groups followed by attacking and defeating the smaller groups. It is much easier to attack and defeat a small group than an entire army. Thus the chance of victory is increased.

In politics, divide and conquer or defeat in detail is used to establish and maintain rule over the people. It’s much easier to rule over many small groups than it is over on large group. A large group can easily threaten to overturn the leadership, whereas many small groups would have to join together in order to make that happen.

In clutter, I like to use the divide an conquer technique to establish rule over my own little kingdom. When approached as a whole, a house filled with clutter is overwhelming and you will quickly succumb to defeat in the form of giving up and taking a nap on the couch or flipping on the TV and vegging out.

When taken in small chunks, however, you will quickly defeat small armies of clutter. Attack a single dresser drawer and defeat will come quickly to the clothes that reside there. They have taunted you, unworn, for far to long. Attack that single drawer and their defeat is guaranteed. Remove the enemy from the group. Take the clothes out of that drawer and put them on the bed – divide them from the army of clothes living in your dresser.

Overwhelmed by paper clutter? Paper clutter is one of the hardest enemies to defeat. Rather than attacking the whole, grab a small stack and remove it from the group. Take that small stack to another room and attack it. A small stack of papers is no match for you.

Do you have an army of dishes and utensils camped in your kitchen? Attack one cabinet, one shelf, and one drawer at a time. Open a cabinet and remove all items from a single shelf. Set them on the counter or on a nearby table. Pick out those sympathetic to your cause and exile the rest to the isle of donations. You are a sympathetic leader and will allow the defeated to find new homes, but they shall never be allowed to return to your home.

Divide and Conquer will make the task of decluttering less overwhelming. You aren’t decluttering your entire house. You are decluttering one very very small area. Declutter that very small area and then move on to another very small area. Repeat this over again until you finish a room. Then repeat in another room.

The army of clutter that has invaded your home can be defeated. By using the Divide and Conquer technique you will quickly and repeatedly overwhelm small battalions of clutter that will lead to the defeat of the entire clutter army.

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Welcome to Rethinking the Dream

My name is Eric West. My family and I decided the American Dream of Home Ownership wasn't living up to the hype and we decided to rethink that dream. Over the past few years we have decluttered, downsized, and moved towards a more minimalist lifestyle.

As our journey of downsizing came to an end I began offering Clutter Coaching to others going through similar transitions. I want to help you with decluttering, downsizing, minimalism, simplicity, and any of the family issues that come along with it.